From Mexico's perspective, the border encompasses some of the country's most economically prosperous states. In contrast, the U.S. border region is among the poorest areas in the United States, with >30% of families living at or below the poverty level[8]. Along the Texas border, an estimated 350,000 or more people live in 1,450 unincorporated areas known as colonias, which lack adequate sanitation infrastructure[8].

The large population movement, limited public health infrastructure, and poor environmental conditions contribute to increased incidence of certain infectious diseases[8-11] Analysis of data from the U.S. National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System for 1990 through 1998 showed increased risks for certain foodborne, waterborne, and vaccine-preventable diseases in U.S. counties within 100 kilometers of the border, compared with nonborder states. These data show a two- to fourfold greater incidence of hepatitis A, measles, rubella, shigellosis, and rabies and an eightfold greater incidence of brucellosis in border counties than in nonborder states[11]. Studies have identified the importance of cross-border movement in the transmission of various diseases, including hepatitis A[12,13], tuberculosis[14-18], shigellosis[19], syphilis[20], Mycobacterium bovis infection[21], and brucellosis[22,23].

Barely. I saw an article a couple of days ago where some town in Massachusetts had made it a condition of granting a restaurant license that the businesses agree not to hire illegal immigrants. Apparently public health officials are seeing a sharp uptick in drug resistant tuburculosis and didn't think it was appropriate for people with this infectious disease to be handling food.

It makes me think twice before I eat in a restaurant with Hispanic workers!

4
posted on 05/04/2006 12:18:05 PM PDT
by jackbenimble
(Import the third world, become the third world)

I wish the media (coughFOXNEWScough) would latch onto this story. The US had all but eradicated TB and now it's coming back. Now it makes me wonder...how many other stories aren't being fully reported because they'd be blasted as racist?

What shots do people have to have before coming into the US? What shots do Americans need when traveling abroad?

I'm sure the CDC or another Fed website has the information. The CDC does, however, have a page for info specific to Mexico. Aside from the usual "don't drink the water!" warnings on Montezuma's Revenge, they do mention both Hepatitis A and B as well as malaria.

>>Along the Texas border, an estimated 350,000 or more people live in 1,450 unincorporated areas known as colonias, which lack adequate sanitation infrastructure.<<

This statement is definately an understatement. The colonias I visited in South Texas a few years ago was simply a large collection of old mover's Van-Pac household goods storage boxes set in the middle of a cotton field. The boxes had windows cut in the sides for ventilation. There was only dirt streets, no running water, and no sewerage facilities. I cannot speak to the obvious human health risks that exist in association with colonias, but I could say much about the risks to American agriculture that exist from open southern borders.

Illegal Immigrants Are Spreading Dangerous Diseases Across This Nation By Dave Gibson (05/12/2005)

It is often said that the flood of illegal immigrants into this country is reaching 'epidemic proportions.' While that statement is true--it is just as true that the illegal immigrants pouring over the U.S.-Mexican border are endangering this country with actual epidemics. Tuberculosis, hepatitis, dengue fever, chagas, and even leprosy are being imported into the U.S. inside the bodies of illegal aliens...And you thought they only carried heroin-filled baloons inside their bodies!

A 'hot-zone' of disease can be found in this nations border states. Illegal immigrants are setting up so-called "colonias" just inside the states of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. The shanty towns are comprised mostly of cardboard shacks and huts made with cast-off building materials. They have no sanitation, and are surrounded by mounds of garbage. The estimated 185,000 illegals share their makeshift towns with armies of rats. Of course, diseases only common to Central and South America run rampant in these places.

One of the imports to this country is chagas disease. It is caused by a parasite known as trypanosome. It is a blood-borne disease and is spread by triatomine insects. The parasite burrows into human tissue (usually in the face), where it then begins to multiply. In addition to being spread by insects, it can also be contracted through blood transfusions.

After cases of chagas were reportedly discovered to have been spread by transfusions in Canada, that nation began testing all blood donations for the disease.

For 40 years, the number of recorded cases of leprosy within the United States totaled 900. Today, we know of more than 7,000 current cases of leprosy in the U.S.

Dr. John Levis of New York's Bellevue Hospital's Hansen Disease Clinic said of America's documented cases of leprosy: 'There are probably many, many more and they are spreading."

Most of those in the U.S. who are suffering from leprosy are from Mexico, India, Brazil, and the Caribbean. However, there are a few documented cases in which the person became infected with leprosy inside the U.S. The majority of the cases have been discovered in this nation's northeastern region.

Once thought to be nearly eradicated in this country, TB is now making a strong comeback. In a recent interview with Mother Jones Magazine, Dr. Reichman of The New Jersey TB Clinic recently said: In the 1990's, cases among foreign born Americans rose from 29 percent to 41.6 percent. Antibiotic resistant strains from Mexico have migrated to Texas. Since three years ago, 16,000 new cases of TB were discovered in the United States. Half were foreign born. Strains of TB once only found in Mexico have migrated to the border states of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. It will move north as illegal aliens work in restaurants as cooks, dishwashers, and food handlers. We sit on the edge of a potential catastrophe."

In 2001, New York's Tuberculosis Control Program discovered that 81 percent of that city's new cases of TB were attributed to immigrants

Cases of TB are now being found in many areas of the country, where there are high concentrations of illegal immigrants. In March of 2002, The Washington Post reported that Virginia's Prince William County experienced a 188 percent increase of TB infections over the previous year. Yes, the streets of Prince William County are over-run with illegal aliens seeking day-laborer jobs.

Last year, the rate of TB in the northern part of Virginia rose 17 percent. The Va. Department of Health blamed the rise on that region's recent flood of illegal immigrants. Many strains of TB are being found in certain neighborhoods, which are dominated by illegal Latin American immigrants.

The threats posed to our country by illegal immigration are many. However, our political leaders will undoubtedly continue to ignore them. Our own president is willing to place all Americans at risk, in exchange for securing the Latino vote for the Republican Party.

If left unchecked, illegal immigration will destroy this nation one way or another.

My children's pediatrician is now requiring the HEP A vaccine. We live in Texas and homeschool and haven't needed this vaccine yet. He informed me that it was now being given as a required vaccine due to the influx of Hep A from the illegals. Nice isn't it?

What few links I have found are here, scroll back to find them-- "Thunder on the Border," click the picture:

A very un-charming, graphic illustration?

My apologies.

There are a lot of old horrors of diseases kurking out in the world, that we have largely forgotten, but TB, cholera, scarlet and yellow fever, etc., are no laughing matter if you are unlucky enough to get them.

A bit they did on illegals on Fox showing the trash they left behind showed alot of medicine packets. Looked like antibiotics to me. There are innumerable reasons not to have people just wantonly crossing the border. We need a modern version of Ellis island complete with quarantines.

******************************************** The four I remember I had to have when I came to the U.S. as a LEGAL immigrant were: Tetanus, Typhoid, T.B., and Smallpox. I can't remember if there were any others or not.

20
posted on 05/04/2006 2:14:26 PM PDT
by AmeriBrit
(ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION, IT INCLUDES TERRORIST SLEEPER CELLS!!)

He informed me that it was now being given as a required vaccine due to the influx of Hep A from the illegals. Nice isn't it?

Now that makes sense! I was wondering why my son needed yet another immunization series when I thought he had had all the ones required several years ago. Nobody actually said why.

I'm so glad this administration and Senate are willing to put all our lives at risk so they can do their hispandering. They need to move their families down to the border so they can experience the same one-ness with the illegals they want us to have.

Analysis of data from the U.S. National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System for 1990 through 1998 showed increased risks for certain foodborne, waterborne, and vaccine-preventable diseases in U.S. counties within 100 kilometers of the border, compared with nonborder states.

I was pinged to this on another thread by JustPiper....thought you'd be interested in this, in case you hadn't seen this.

23
posted on 05/06/2006 11:02:06 AM PDT
by nicmarlo
(Bush is the Best President Ever. Rah. Rah.)

A funny thing happened to my wife and I today at the grocery store. A little old lady (80+) was straining to read the small print on a package of tomatoes. She asked if I would mind reading it and tell her where they were grown. I obliged and said they were "Product of USA". "Good" she said. "I just wanted to make sure they weren't from Mexico". We laughed and asked if she was boycotting Mexican products. "Oh, you bet we are" she said. "You can't even drink the water down there and they want us to eat their food?"

When I was five, we had to move from our rented house to the country where we had only an outhouse for bathroom facilities and a pump just off the kitchen outdoors; a stockpot was kept filled on the counter overnight to use for priming the pump each morning and, in the winter, it had to brought to a boil before carrying it outside to pour down the gravy boat-shaped throat to thaw the leather plunger diaphragm.

We did have gas and electricity and heated the rooms with small ceramic elements mounted in rows over a jetted pipe mounted in a compact metal stand.

We would place the Christmas tree adjacent to the one in the living room at Christmas to fool Santa Claus.

But I outgrew Santa Claus and I haven't a clue how to dig a well, but I'm sure that when the time returns that I need one I will be able to hire cheap labor.

28
posted on 05/06/2006 2:13:53 PM PDT
by Old Professer
(The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)

There are a lot of old horrors of diseases kurking out in the world, that we have largely forgotten, but TB, cholera, scarlet and yellow fever...

Along with the hordes of illegals crossing, those with diseases - end up in whose emergency rooms/in whose cities; and who pays their ER and hospitalization bills?

Oh, no big deal, our taxes will pay for these illegal felons who have snuck across our Southern border.

[anyone heard about our jammed packed emergency rooms/chock full of these felon illegals/if you or someone in your family -even with your own health coverage- ahhhh, don't plan on being seen - for perhaps a few hours! - you have to ahhh, ahhh --- --- wait your turn --- don't cha know]

add chagas to the list too. Incurable disease discovered by Dr. Chagas. Known commonly as the kissing bug, causes enlargement of the abdominal cavity organs, and leads to inevitable death. SWEET, our diversity is so wonderful.

Each illegal with MDR-TB coughs and infects 10 to 30 people, who will not show symptoms immediately. Latent disease explodes later. MDR-TB has a 60% death rate. It can be treated over 24 months at a cost of $250,000 and toxic side effects.

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, was so rare in America that in 40 years only 900 people were afflicted. Suddenly, in the past three years America has more than 7,000 cases of leprosy. Leprosy now is endemic to northeastern states because illegal aliens and other immigrants brought leprosy from India, Brazil, the Caribbean and Mexico.

[anyone heard about our jammed packed emergency rooms/chock full of these felon illegals/if you or someone in your family -even with your own health coverage- ahhhh, don't plan on being seen - for perhaps a few hours! - you have to ahhh, ahhh --- --- wait your turn --- don't cha know]

I spoke w/ a woman from So. Cal at the Minutemen rally in Phoenix the other night. She works in an emergency room out there.

She told me that the illegals are now calling taxis to pick them up, and they are brought to the ER's for routine treatment. All at the taxpayer's expense.

During my "tour of duty" in West Los Angeles, I usually rode the bus to work and to some shopping. This was for about 6 years. Even if the bus ridership in Los Angeles/Santa Monica can range from the nicest people on earth all the way to screaming nut-cases that should be locked up...there was only one time I got off the bus because of one of the other passengers. An fellow that had a cough that made me wonder if he was going to hurl up a piece of lung. OK, call me prejudiced, but he at least looked like about a million other day laborers from Mexico that inhabit the city.

I noticed other riders moving away from him when seats opened up... and I just got off the bus at the first available stop. And waited about 20 minutes for the next bus.

It sounds like you had an early childhood similar to mine, i.e., outdoor toilets, draw-well water, fire place for heat and a propane heater to heat water. However, if I had seemed to imply that I lived in a colonias, I have to apologize. I did not. My experience was as a U.S. Department of Agriculture representative where I had to meet with colonias leaders to discuss their health concerns for a USDA/Texas pesticide application program. I may have had it pretty rough as a kid, but these colonias people had it really bad.

People are always talking about Bird Flu and the like- I'm more concerned about an influx of uninoculated persons bringing back diseases most Americans assume have been wiped out. You have an additional problem of alot of those people being relatively uneducated and ignorant about disease prevention, and living in very crowded conditions.

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